


Paint me a thesis

by lilija_the_red



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Background Enjolras/Grantaire, Friendship, Gen, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-22
Updated: 2015-09-22
Packaged: 2018-04-22 22:36:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4853126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilija_the_red/pseuds/lilija_the_red
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jehan and Grantaire are art students and need their friends’ help</p>
            </blockquote>





	Paint me a thesis

**Author's Note:**

> This was a promp fill for the lovely frankisthegod on tumblr  
> prompt was "the paint's supposed to go where?!"

“The paint’s supposed to go where?!” Bahorel’s eyes go wide as he stares down on Grantaire and Jehan.

“On your body. Nude as much as we can do”, Jehan replies casually. 

“So you will paint on me?” Bahorel asks and scratches his left ear. He tends to do that when he’s thinking about something. Grantaire tries to hide a smile. 

“Not really painting”, Grantaire offers but gets interupted by Jehan right away. 

“We’ll pour it over you. With a bucket.”

Bahorel raises an eyebrow. “So you’ll just dump the paint on me and I simply have to stand there and look into the camera?”

Grantaire and Jehan share a look. They nod. A wide grin spreads over Bahorel’s face. “Sounds awesome! Count me in!”

Grantaire looks at Jehan. A smile sits on his face, mirroring Grantaire's. He can practically see Jehan relaxing. But he not gonna lie, he can feel the relief rushing over himself, too. This was their last standing idea for their last thesis. Their last project. This is going to be great.

“Soo”, Bahorel starts, clasping both their shoulders, “tell me, when do we start?”

“Whenever you have the time, honestly.”

Bahorel seems to think for a moment before answering. “How’s about tomorrow afternoon?”

“Tomorrow it is then”, Jehan hums.

-

Jehan frowns. “This doesn’t work. There’s something missing. Grantaire!” Grantaire sighs and slouches down next to Jehan. He pats the other man’s shoulder, slowly, before leaning back again, resting his weight on his arms behind him. Eyes are up to the ceiling. Another sigh. Bahorel stands a few feet away rubbing at some yellow paint on his arm. 

“You’re right, Jehan. But..”

“How about we do the other thing?” Jehan turns around to Grantaire now. 

Grantaire looks back at Jehan, face unsure. “You mean the whole group thing?”

“Yeah! I think it would work.”

“It actually could work, but-”

“No buts!”  
But Grantaire doesn’t let himself get irritated by it and continues: “ The prof isn’t very keen of such group things, remember?”

Jehan’s brow furrows at that that, his face hardens. “And?” 

“He’s still the one giving us our credit, you know.” Grantaire shrugs.

“He can’t let us fail, because of it! Not because of his narrowminded beliefs.  He can’t. There are laws against it. Besides, it would still fit the topic, wouldn’t it? He really CAN’T let us fail. Also Fauchelevaunt will me on the comitee as well.” 

Grantaire bites down on his lip. “Are you sure? You know me. I don’t care if I have to repeat this class again, but what about you?” But the second Grantaire looks into Jehan’s face, he knows the answer to his question. Jehan has made his decision. Grantaire can’t quite fight the smirk blooming on his face. 

“I think it’s time for an asshole prof to get pretty uncomfortable!”, Jehan laughs. 

Grantaire laughs raughly. “You know, I’m always up for some ass kicking! Especially some homophobic ass, hehe.”

“Eh guys”, Bahorel looks over to them, worry layering his voice, “ I kind of not get the paint off? Help?”

“Shit.” Grantaire and Jehan say in unison.

-

It’s the next day, when the little storage hall is filled with noises. All their friends are standing around in small groups, chatting with one another. Jehan makes a step forward and coughs pointedly. The noises die out and all heads turn around to them. Jehan’s eyes are practically beaming with excitement, while Grantaire himself tries to dim his own down. 

“Hello my friends! You all know why we are here today! Not to help Grantaire and me with our last thesis, no, we are here to create something bigger. Make art. Life. We are here to-” Jehan keeps on with his speech and Grantaire smiles at him, pride in his eyes. And only a little worry. 

His eyes wander around the room, over the faces of their friends. All of them have managed to haul some hours into their daily schedule and came. All of them. A warm cozy feeling spreads through his stomach, working its way upside through his chest. There’s Bahorel, of course, in the corner with Feuilly and Joly at his side. Joly makes a thumb up towards Jehan, winking at them. Musichetta and Bossuet close by, both leaning against the wall, excitement in their eyes. Eponine stands with them. A smile is hidden in her eyes, but her lips remain a neutral line. Grantaire’s eyes continue their way through the room. The next he spots are Marius and Cosette who are standing next to Courfeyrac on the other side of the room. Right next to them, finally, are standing Comebeferre and Enjolras close by. Comebeferre smiles openly and fondly at Jehan. Enjolras arms are crossed in front of his chest, hip pointing out a little bit as he watches Jehan talk. And he’s smiling, Grantaire notices with a little surprise. His own lips twerk up. He lets out a shuddery breath. All are here. Now they can start. Just in this moment Jehan finishes his introduction speech.

“So! Everyone ready?” The answer comes in chearing. Jehan still smiles as he turns around to Grantaire, looking at him expectingly. Right. Grantaire clears his throat before he starts talking. 

“So , all of you will have a part in this project. We’ve prepared different jobs for each of you. I’ll explain everything to you as we go. Any questions? No? Good. Let’s get started!” “Oh wait”, Grantaire exclaims before anyone can move. “Almost forgot! Because we are here for some aestethic you have to put these on”, he says pointing at the nude body suits and underwear Jehan is holding up.

“You got to be kidding me!”, Feuilly and Combeferre yikes simultionasly. Joly makes grabby hands for his suit. Enjolras frowns. Bahorel simply laughs doubling over out of laughter. 

“This is gonna be fun!”

 

They all get divided into 2 groups, well, 3, if you count Grantaire as his own group. Group one should dump the buckets. Group two shall receive.   
Group one consists of Musichetta, Eponine, Bossuet, Cosette, Jehan and Marius, who appears to be allergic to paint. Group two has all the others except for Grantaire, who’s going to take the photographs.   
Grantaire hords the group in front of a paper wall, which is supposed to work as a view shield for the bucket dumpers, so that they won’t be seen on the pictures. While the others are getting changed, Grantaire introduces the others into the procedure of the act. Cosette helps Bossuet putting a plastic bag around the cast on his right arm. Bossuet laughs. “Good thing I’m a leftie, right?”

When he hears the clicking of a door, Grantaire instinctively turns around and regrets it right away as he spots Enjolras. He almost forgot how TIGHT those nude things could sit. He swallows dryly. God damn it! 

“I LOVE THIS SUIT!” Courfeyrac exclaims as he bounces into the room. “Where do we have to go, Grantaire?” Courfeyrac’s eyes are wide, like children’s eyes on Christmas morning, and Grantaire grins openly. He’s trying hard not to look too directly at Enjolras as he arranges the people in front of the paper wall. They are supposed to form a line. 

Combeferre comes first with a dark full purple. The next is Feuilly with blue. Joly is green. Bahorel follows with a bright yellow. Next to him stands Courfeyrac with orange. Making Enjolras and red the end of the line.  
The others take their places behind the paper wall, buckets full of paint in their hands. Jehan double checks that no one in the line can be seen on the pcitures and Grantaire controlls the paint in the buckets. When he reaches the last one in line he hurries with checking, careful not to look up into Enjolras’s face. That’s probably why he’s so startled when a hand touches his arm. His head jerks up, just to meet Enjolras’s face. A friendly grin thrones on his lips. 

“Don’t forget to breathe, Grantaire”, Enjolras says with amusement in his voice but it’s not hard or sharp. A little mocking, maybe, but soft. And the way he says his name makes Grantaire’s knees feel like pudding. Oh god, how long has he been staring at Enjolras?! Enjolras doesn’t seem to act on it though, his hand still rests on Grantaire’s arm, the smile still on his face. Grantaire masters all his strength up to nod nonchalantly and smirk. He takes an effort on breathing in extra obviously. 

“Almost forgot, thanks for reminding!”, he adds in a mocking way, causing Enjolras to huff a laugh. Or something similar. Still, the warm feeling from earlier still lingers in Grantaire’s chest, if anything gotten even warmer than before. Anyhow. Keep going, R.

Finally he takes his place in front of the group, camera in hand. 

“Okay everybody. Eyes on me okay? I’ve set up a video camera there”, he points at a black box next to him, “and also I have this baby”, he adds holding up the camera in his hands. “Dump the paint on 3.”

“One.”

“…Two”

“Three!!”

A rainbow blooms in front of him. And everything is captured on camera, he thinks smirking to himself. He hears paint splattering, some shrieking from Feuilly and Joly, but most of all the laughing. 

“Great guys! Now keep on going, we still haven’t got enough material!” 

When they are done all of them are splattered in colorful paint. Even poor old Marius, who’s smiling bravely as he hurries to the bathroom, skin probably pounding already, Courfeyrac at his heels. 

“It was worth it”, Marius later underlines as he scratches at the red spots on his skin, where the paint left its ugly mark, a soft smile on his face. 

It really was, Grantaire thinks as he scrolls through the pictures, a smiling Jehan sitting next to him. 

\---

 

Violette - like the sunset’s darkest colour. A fresh bruise. Wildness. Roughness. Beauty. Safety.  
Blue  - like the wide sky and the deep ocean. Wonderfully calm, brimming over with power.   
Green - like freshly cut grass. Condemness. Steadiness. Hope.   
Yellow - like the smiling sun. Pure Joyness and Laughter. Full of strength and power.  
Orange - like the warm flames of red but friendly and caring. So much warmth but still there’s more   
Red - like fire and flames. Dedication and destruction. Life and death. So close together.


End file.
